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Conflict theory
Sociology of Education
UPV-EHU
22 Sept. 2011
Last up-dated: 27 Sept.

Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• Capital: any asset, including money, machines or
even factories, that can beused or invested to
make future assets
• Capitalism is inherently a class system in which
class relationships are characterized by conflict
• The relationship between classes in an exploitative
one,since workers have little or no control over their
labour and employers are able to generate profit by
appropriating the product of workers’ labour
• Society is split into a small class thatmonopolizes
economic and political power and the large mass of
people who benefit little from the wealth their work
creates

Social change

Max Weber pioneer of Sociology

Max Weber (1864-1920)• Economic factors are important, but ideas
and values have just as much impact on
social change
• Certain aspects of Christian beliefs strongly
influenced the rise of capitalism
•Rationalization: people were moving away
from traditional beliefs grounded in
superstition, religion, custom and longstanding habit

Weber
• Individuals were increasingly engaging in
rational, instrumentalcalculations that took
into account efficiency and future
consequences
• Capitalism is dominated by the rise of
science, technology and bureaucracy (largescale organizations)
• Rationalizationmeans the organization of
social and economic life according to
principles of efficiency, on the basis of
technical knowledge

Conflict
• Like Marx, Weber regarded society as
characterized byconflicts over power and
resources. Yet social stratification is not simply a
matter of class, but it is shaped by two further
aspects: status (see below) and party (struggle
among politicalfactions)
• Conflict is an expression of the very
multidimensionality of things, the plurality of
different groups, interests and perspectives that
make up the world. Though there is consensus
and...